Extracting and drying apparatus



(No M0661.)

Y H. A. WHEELER. I EXTRAGTING AND DRYING APPARATUS.

PatentedNov. 19, 1895 AN BREW BGRMIAM,FHOTD-LITHuWASHINGTDND C UNITED STATES P T NT OFFICE.

HERBERT A. WHEELER, or ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI,

EXTRACTING AND DRYING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 550,035, dated November 19, 1895. Application filed April 2, 1895. verial N0.'5 l=4,141. (N0 model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, HERBERT A. WVHEELER, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, State of Missouri, have invented an Improvement in Extractors and Driers of Refuse Material, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is especially intended for extracting the oil and grease from refuse material, such as garbage, tankage, &c., and by these means the oily and greasy materials are taken out by a solvent such as naphtha,while the refuse materials are subjected to the action of heat and agitation and conveyed from the place of reception to the place of delivery, and the naphtha and greasy materials in solution are conveyed away in a direction opposite to that of the motion given to the solid materials, and the apparatus is inclosed in such a manner that the naphtha vapors are saved and condensed and the refuse materials are carried off and the liquid drained from the same, and then such solid materials are dried previous to delivery, so that by the condensation of the vapors there is but little loss of the solvent.

In the drawing I have represented the present improvement by diagrammatic sectional elevation,

The materials to be treated are delivered into a spout or pipe Vin any suitable manner such, for instance, as by the endless chain-conveyer Y, by which such materials are delivered with sufficient regularity to be properly trunk or pipe F, that is advantageously hori-' zontal, or nearly so, and surrounded with a steam-jacket G, to which steam is admitted by the pipe 3, and the water of condensation passes off by the pipe 4, there being cocks" or Valves to regulate the admission of steam and the heat applied by the jacket G to the trunk or pipe F. Within this trunk or pipe F is a shaft S,suitably supported and passing out at one end through a stuffing-box and driven by a pulley S and suitable power, and upon this shaft 8 are blades Qforming a screw-conveyer and rakes or arms band agitators or cutters 5, which, by the rotation of the shaft, act upon the refuse material to subdivide and agitate the same in a very thorough manner and at the same time to move the material along from the hopperA to the elevator H,which is in a closed trunk H, and liquid, such as naphtha, is supplied by a pipe W and runs into the trunk H and fills the pipe or trunk F and the lower part of the hopper A, so that the material treated is agitated and conveyed along in the liquid solvent and in the presence of the proper degree of heat applied by the steam in the jacket G, and the solvent runs from the supply-pipe W and passes off by the delivery-pipe F, which pipe F is near the upper part of the vessel B in which are screens 6 and 7, that are interposed between the material in the hopperA and the deliverypipe F, so that light or floating substances are kept from passing into the liquid-delivery pipe F, and there is a vapor-pipe Q passing away from-the closed spout V to a suitable condenser, so that the naphtha vapors will be conveyed away and saved and a greater or less vacuum or minus pressure'may be maintained in the apparatus to prevent the naphtha vapors passing out from such apparatus. The cover B to the vessel B should be removable to give access to the screens 6 and 7 whenever necessary to clean the same, and it is now to be understood that by the portion of the apparatus thus far described the oily or greasy'substanees contained in refuse materials can be extracted by the naphtha or other solvent flowing in the opposite direction to the movement of the solid materials, and that such solid materials. from which the greasy materials are extracted are discharged by the elevator H, and it is advantageous to make this elevator sufficiently long to allow the liquid solvent to run from the solid material into the lower part of the trunk H, and to still further promote the separation of the liquid solvent from the solid materials a drainage-plate I is provided at an inclination for the solid materials to be discharged upon as they are dumped from theelevator, and the liquid passing through the drainage-plate is returned to the trunk H by the inclined inclosure or pipe t.

It is advantageous to provide doors h and 7b in the trunk ll to give access to the top and bottom pulleys of the elevator H, and also to provide a drain-pipe for drawing off liquid from the bottom of the trunk H.

In order to dry the materials discharged from the elevator H and to save the naphtha or other solvent, I provide a steam-jacket J around the trunk K, through which the solid materials are delivered as they pass from the drainage-plate 1 down to the trunk L, in which is a shaft and screw-conveyer and rakes and cutters similar to those before described and marked with corresponding letters of reference, there being around the trunk L a steamj ackct M with a steam-supply pipe m and pipe 72 for the water of condensation, and the solid materials are exposed to the agitation of the screw-conve yer, and the rakes as these are revolved, and the material is also heated, so that the naphtha or other solvent is driven off through the vapor-pipe R to a suitable condenser, thereby saving such naphtha and drying the refuse materials, and the apparatus is kept as tightly closed as consistent with the circumstances of its use-that is to say, there is a door P that closes automatically and is opened by the pressure and accumulation of materials that are moved along by the screw-conveyer and revolving shaft S.

The trunk L should be much larger in diameter than the screw-conveyer on the shaft S, so that there may be ample space above the screw-conveyer for the vapors to pass away from the solid materials under the action of heat, so that the same are not liable to become obstructed, but escape freely to the pipe R.

I am aware that screw-conveyers are common and also that liquid solvents have been employed in extracting grease and oils from refuse materials.

It will be apparent that any liquidsuch as alcohol, carbon-bisulphide, water, or naphtha-may be employed, according to the character of the material acted upon, and that the stream of fresh solvent liquid running upon the solid materials as they are carried away by the elevator H serves to wash off any oilymaterials, so as to avoid waste, and the vessel 13 is sufficiently large to allow the materials to remain comparatively quiescent, so that the solid substances may subside, and, if desired, a strainer may be applied adjacent to the delivery-pipe F, and the speed of rotation of the conveyer-screw can be regulated according to the length of time required for the solvent to act upon the solid materials as carried along by such screw.

It is advantageous to make the trunk adjacent to the door P of about the same size as the revolving screw, so that the dried materials will accumulate immediately behind the door and such door will only be forced open by such materials, thereby aiding in excluding atmosphere.

By making the screw in the trunk 11 to fit said trunk reasonably close and providing holes in the screw, as represented, the solvent liquid will be mixed with the solid material. very thoroughly and pass through such openings in the opposite direction to the move ment of such solid materials.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination with a screw conveyor and agitators and the trunk for the same, of a surrounding steam jacket for heating the contents of the trunk, a supply spout and feed hopper and a delivery elevator and a tight case for the same,a pipe for supplying naphtha or other solvent into the case of the delivery elevator, a vessel adjacent to the feed hopper and a pipe for the delivery of the solvent and the greasy and oily materials taken up by the same, and screens for preventing solid materials passing off with the oily materials and the solvent, and a vapor pipe to a condenser for the Vapors of the solvent, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination in an apparatus for extracting oily materials from refuse and a drier for the solid materials, of a supply spout and hopper, an automatic swinging valve or door opened by the passing materials, a closed screw conveyer and agitator and a surrounding steam jacket, a delivery conveyer and a closed case for the same, a pipe for supplying thereinto naphtha or similar solvent, a drainage plate for receiving the material from the elevator and returning liquid solvent to the elevator case, a discharge trunk screw conveyer and agitator, and steamj ackets for heating the same and drying the solid waste material, and an automatic door for allowing the solid materials to be delivered and for aiding in retaining the vapors of the solvent, substantially as set forth.

Signed by me this 28th day of March, 1895.

HERBERT A. \VlIEELER.

\Vitnesscs A. S. LooMIs, II. M. THOMPSON. 

